Home inspector made me question my entire drywall setup

I had a guy out to check for insulation gaps before I closed up the basement ceiling, and he pointed out that my drywall screws were spaced about 16 inches apart on the studs. I told him that's what the tutorial I watched said, and he just shook his head. He pulled out his little gauge tool and showed me that for 5/8 inch board on 24 inch centers, you need screws every 12 inches or the seams will eventually crack. I've done three rooms this way and never had an issue, but he said it's a ticking time bomb once the house shifts. I looked it up after he left and sure enough, the manufacturer spec on the back of the drywall package says 12 inches. All my old projects are probably fine for now, but I'm wondering if I should go back and add screws to the existing walls or just wait until something visibly fails. Has anyone else had a pro tell them a standard DIY habit was actually wrong? What did you do about it?

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jasons637d ago

That inspector is overselling it. Older codes used to allow screws every 16 on ceilings all the time and plenty of those houses are still standing 40 years later without cracked seams. If your framing is straight, your board is tight, and you didn't skimp on mud, the screws aren't the weak link, the joint compound is. Tearing open finished rooms to add screws you probably don't need is a good way to CAUSE the cracking you're trying to prevent.

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